the more important in potentially high-pressure situations (we’ve all been there). One such session came up
this week. It had all the ingredients for a perfect storm… but this time, it played out differently.
There was a looming next-day deadline. Some well-intentioned but slightly over-involved family support.
And, hardest of all, a student who had lost all confidence—and all joy—in doing their art. Ten minutes in,
they hadn’t come down to start the session, and I could hear a tense conversation happening upstairs.
‘I know exactly where my boundaries are if I need to extricate myself.’
Eventually, the student came downstairs and, after a short warm-up drawing exercise to ease in, they were
able to engage and make real progress on their sketchbook work. We focused on a clear, achievable
outcome and giving the student a sense of agency. There were a few interruptions, but I stayed grounded
and calm throughout.
‘I’m confident in my rationale for this session and the management of the task flow.’
So—what was the outcome? The student felt proud of their work and calm about what was left to do. I
offered a few practical tips for finishing the piece and uploaded some supportive resources to our shared
folder.
And then? I left on time.
‘I have delivered a valuable service and don’t need to give any extra time.’
Before I left, I reminded the student to get it finished without overthinking, so they could enjoy something
even more important on a Sunday: a bit of well-earned gaming time.
‘The student’s well being and agency are more important than ticking boxes or chasing perfection.’
Best of all?
‘If I need to decompress or sense-check this, I can reach out to my QT people for support.’
This is a world away from how my tutoring used to be, especially in how I feel afterwards. That’s down to
having the wonderful people in the Qualified Tutor community as a supportive staffroom.